What are the signs of baby reflux problems - how much spitting up is too much?

Question

I don't think that my son is having abnormal problems, but its always been on my mind. How much spitting up is normal and how much isn't? He is 8 months old today -

(I know if I have serious concerns I should see his doctor - but I just want thoughts from other parents) -

Thanks

Answer 1

projectile vomiting, spiting up all the time, hard time feeding them, lots of hiccups to name a few.

Answer 2

Its not a question of how much spitting up is normal, it comes down to one question: "Is it impacting your baby's quality of life?" -or basically is it causing pain or is it causing slow growth/malnutrition/aspiration etc.

If its not impacting your child's quality of life then it isn't a medical problem, nor a problem for a child.  And while doing laundry is annoying, and while spitting up in an older baby can be upsetting to mom and relatives its not really a problem.

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/ref...

A few statistics (for all babies, not just breastfed babies):

    * Spitting up usually occurs right after baby eats, but it may also occur 1-2 hours after a feeding.

    * Half of all 0-3 month old babies spit up at least once per day.

    * Spitting up usually peaks at 2-4 months.

    * Many babies outgrow spitting up by 7-8 months.

    * Most babies have stopped spitting up by 12 months.

If your baby is a ‘Happy Spitter’ --gaining weight well, spitting up without discomfort and content most of the time -- spitting up is a laundry & social problem rather than a medical issue.

Answer 3

It isn't the amount of spitting that matters, but baby's reaction.  If baby is a 'happy spitter', and still eating well, gaining weight, and generally content, spitting up is solely a laundry problem. Some babies just spit up a lot.

If baby is in pain and/or refusing to eat, even minimal spitting up (or none at all  -- so called 'silent reflux') can require treatment.  

Answer 4

If he's spitting up a lot, and by "a lot", I mean frequently and in large amounts, so much so that it is interfering with weight gain, then that is spitting up too much.

Spitting up isn't the only sign of reflux though...sometimes babies with reflux rarely spit up (known as silent reflux).  Common signs are frequent hiccups, crying for no known reason (which is from the acid burning their esophagus), arching their back while feeding and crying out, and poor weight gain.  

I wouldn't worry about your son, especially since he is 8 months old.  The majority of babies with reflux will outgrow it by 6-9 months, and nearly all have outgrown it by one year old.

Answer 5

My son does have acid reflux...pretty severely (he ended up throwing up blood...which is brown spit up... before they put him on medicine! I was so mad!) He would have constand projectile vomit almost every feeding and if he was not projectile vomiting, he would just consistantly spit up with a steady flow of it for a good half hour to an hour after a feeding. For example, after one feeding before they put him on the medicine the spit up kept flowing out of his mouth so much that we ended up with 2 soaked burp clothes....the big gerber ones that they make. and when i say soaked i mean soaked! thats how it was with us anyways but i know other people who's children have reflux and theirs was somewhat different

Answer 6

If he is spitting up after every feeding or vomiting, then it is most likely reflux.